DeLong elated over the generosity of a Secret Santa

Saturday

Jan 5, 2013 at 10:00 AM

Good Samaritans are scattered throughout Carmi. Betty DeLong knows this first hand. A knock on the door 12 days before Christmas brought a surprise and the best present anyone could ask for: a Secret Santa.

Tammy Knox

Good Samaritans are scattered throughout Carmi. Betty DeLong knows this first hand. A knock on the door 12 days before Christmas brought a surprise and the best present anyone could ask for: a Secret Santa.

The first delivery came just after dark. DeLong opened the door to an empty porch with the only remnants of a visitor coming in the form of a Christmas bag with a note and a gift. The note explained she was the recipient of a gesture from an anonymous visitor and the gifts would continue for the next 11 days.

"I was totally surprised," said DeLong. "At first, I tried to figure out who it was, but after the second gift arrived, I quit trying to figure it out. I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

Each evening, DeLong went through the same routine. Shortly after nightfall, a knock on the door revealed another gift. The gifts were always accompanied by a note from the "Secret Santa" with a holiday message that contained a rhyme associated with the present. The presents included apple cider, apples and caramel dip, Christmas mug and coaster with hot cocoa mix, a Christmas CD, ice cream and root beer, candy in a candy dish, homemade cookies, movie and popcorn and holiday dish towels and a pot holder. The final gift in the 12 days of Christmas arrived a little different - a large fruit basket in the arms of the ones responsible for the Secret Santa gifts.

"I was so surprised to see the Colman boys at my door," said DeLong. "Half of the surprise is finding out who it was. I had seen them in the neighborhood, but I really didn't know them or their family. I can't tell you how much this meant to me. It really lifted my spirits, especially at this time of the year."

Hunter Colman, age eight, and his brother, Conner Colman, age 12, worked really hard each evening to stay undetected as they left the gifts at DeLong's door. They chose "Miss Betty" earlier in the fall to be the recipient of their Secret Santa efforts. With the assistance of their parents, they were able to complete the task flawlessly.

"Each day I got more excited about what would be delivered that night," said DeLong. "I told a couple of my friends about it and they would call me every day asking what I had gotten from my Secret Santa. It would have been a nice thing from someone I knew, but it was so much better to receive these items from someone that I don't know well and it was so unexpected. I can't thank them enough for what they did for me and for brightening my Christmas."

DeLong is not the first target of Secret Santa efforts in the community. Several area residents have been selected as recipients for the program that was unofficially started by a group of well-wishers in the area. Most of the people selected are not well-known by the givers. The only common thread seems to be people who have experienced recent loss or hardship. The Secret Santa program immediately provides an extra boost around the holiday season.

DeLong, who served as a beautician at Wabash Christian Retirement Center for more than 25 years, lost her husband, Jim, and her son, Jim "Tennessee," and a granddaughter, Hannah, all in a very short period of time. The holidays could have been a sad time for DeLong. But, thanks to the efforts of Hunter and Conner, she experienced a holiday that will never be forgotten.

"My Secret Santa kept giving after Christmas," said DeLong. "The day after we received the big snow, the boys were in my driveway with their shovels and they cleaned the snow off of my walk and their dad plowed my driveway. I just can't get over the generosity and the kind thoughts that these two boys had for someone they barely knew. It's something I'll never forget."

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